Paul Ewins
8-Nov-2006, 23:13
Just a quick follow up to my previous post : http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?t=20814
I thought a new title might make it easier to search.
I've succesfully repaired the leaky cylider in my 3010, although my fault finding was a little, well, faulty. Filling the drum up with water showed me which cylinder was leaky but it didn't show me where. I had assumed that because it had only drained part way that the leak was only a little way down the seam. After swabbing the seams with MEK the cylinder still leaked.
Eventually I hit upon shining a torch up underneath the leaky cylinder and found that there was a crack running along the bottom of one the ridges that keeps the sheets of film separated. I then swabbed the crack inside and out with MEK and that did the job.
To summarize the repair process:
1. Remove base of drum by cutting the seams where it is glued to the side wall. Just run a craft knife back and forth along the seam.
2. Fill all of the cylinders with water to see which one is leaking.
3. Shine a light from behind the cylinder to find the crack/hole (same as a bellows test)
4. Seal crack with a dab of MEK (Methyl Ethyl Ketone, in my case "Testors" brand plastic cement. This is a solvent rather than a glue.)
5. Fill cylinder with water to make sure you've fixed the crack.
6. Glue base back in place.
I thought a new title might make it easier to search.
I've succesfully repaired the leaky cylider in my 3010, although my fault finding was a little, well, faulty. Filling the drum up with water showed me which cylinder was leaky but it didn't show me where. I had assumed that because it had only drained part way that the leak was only a little way down the seam. After swabbing the seams with MEK the cylinder still leaked.
Eventually I hit upon shining a torch up underneath the leaky cylinder and found that there was a crack running along the bottom of one the ridges that keeps the sheets of film separated. I then swabbed the crack inside and out with MEK and that did the job.
To summarize the repair process:
1. Remove base of drum by cutting the seams where it is glued to the side wall. Just run a craft knife back and forth along the seam.
2. Fill all of the cylinders with water to see which one is leaking.
3. Shine a light from behind the cylinder to find the crack/hole (same as a bellows test)
4. Seal crack with a dab of MEK (Methyl Ethyl Ketone, in my case "Testors" brand plastic cement. This is a solvent rather than a glue.)
5. Fill cylinder with water to make sure you've fixed the crack.
6. Glue base back in place.